David Lynch's 'Twin Peaks' Returning with New Episodes in 2016

Whoa. Now here's some big and completely unexpected news. Ever since David Lynch's cult favorite Twin Peaks went off the air in '91 fans have been asking for it to return. A few times it looked like it might but it never happened, until now as Twin Peaks is officially back with brand new episodes to be aired on Showtime. F'real, and there's already a teaser which you can check out below.

Original creators Lynch and Mark Frost will take us back to Twin Peaks for a 9-episode event series to begin production next year to air in 2016, the 25th anniversary of the show's final episode. Even better, Lynch and Frost will write each episode with the former directing all of them. So you get Lynch's signature style the whole way through. And for those worried this may be a reboot, it's not. These are new episodes set in the present day and should see much of the original cast return, especially Kyle MacLachlan as Agent Cooper. Frost tells TV Line...

Frost: "It is not a remake. The story continues. The seeds of where we go were planted where we’ve been. I’ve always said that Twin Peaks to me was like a novel we filmed every page of. So this is more like we found another volume of the saga, and now we want to bring that to life too."

For those who may not get what all the fuss is about Showtime plans to re-air the first two seasons in full before the new series begins. So those who don't get the significance whenever the name "Laura Palmer" is mentioned or get the phrase "Damn good coffee" will have a chance to figure it out. Hey, anything that gets Sherilyn Fenn back on my TV regularly is cause for celebration as far as I am concerned. [Deadline]

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Darren Aronofsky Adapting 'MaddAddam' for HBO; Robert Downey Jr. Takes Rehab Series to Showtime

The lure of  television has ensnared many of Hollywood's biggest names, and for very good reason as they offer a vast creative outlet and in many cases have budgets rivaling major studio efforts. When it comes to HBO and Showtime, they also offer a certain amount of certainty the public networks simply can't provide, and that may be a reason why you've got Darren Aronofsky and Robert Downey Jr. looking to take their talents to the small screen.

First up, Darren Aronofsky is set to adapt and possibly direct for HBO a series based on Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam, the final book in her post-apocalyptic trilogy that began with Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood. In what sounds like a semi-continuation of Aronofsky's Noah, the story takes place in a near future when “corporations have taken over for governments and the genetic modification of organisms is perversely ubiquitous.” After a horrific Waterless Flood nearly wipes out humanity, the remaining few, including those who caused the destruction, try to find a way to survive. Hopefully this turns out better than Hobgoblin, a project Aronofsky and Michael Chabon were collaborating on that the network ultimately decided against. [Deadline]

And then there's Robert Downey Jr., who will be tapping into his past struggles with addiction to produce an untitled Showtime series set in the 1980s Venice Beach rehab/therapeutic community. Robert, his wife Susan, and Orange Is the New Black writer Gary Lennon are behind this one, with Lennon penning the script. This seems pretty early on in development but that is a lot of creative firepower that Showtime will want to make the best use of. [Deadline/

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Steven Spielberg's 'Halo' Series May Head to Showtime

Microsoft has a couple of projects on the way based on their bestselling Halo video game franchise. The most recent is Ridley Scott's "digital feature" that is expected to hit Xbox Live in the future, but the longest-developing is a series exec-produced by Steven Spielberg. While the series is also expected to hit the console's online service, as well, Variety reports Xbox Entertainment is in talks with Showtime to bring it to the network.

Xbox is said to be in deep negotiations on a deal that would make Showtime home for the developing series, based on the world fleshed out by screenwriter Stuart Beattie. Talks are also underway with a pair of showrunners to spearhead the project, which is not expected to be a straight-to-series pickup.

The plan is to have episodes air on Showtime before arriving on Xbox Live after a certain window of time has elapsed. For more on Halo and the numerous other projects they have in the works, you can go here. 

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